Freedom
by Athena's Wiccan-wolf
Summary: Luna likes being herself but poor Harry doesn't have that freedom. So she gives him the best she can. Can be a romance, it's up to you really as they work as friends too


Disclaimer: None of the Harry Potter characters are mine.  
  
AN: Basically I wanted to write a Luna Lovegood piece because I keep seeing these 'normal' Luna fics. I –love- that she's so weird so here you are, my attempt at writing that ever so complex creature known as Luna 'Loony' Lovegood.  
  
I dedicate this story to my friend Leila: There you are trouble, I –can- do straight fics Lmao!  
  
Written in Luna's POV  
  
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One shot - Freedom  
  
I cock my head at my reflection, scrutinise the look then cock my head the other way. You always have to do both ways because you look different when your perception changes.  
  
I decided on a patchwork skirt today because I love all the different colours working together. See, look at this piece. This one's all flowery but the square next to it has peculiar Indian shapes and yet they work in perfect contrast. Two wrongs making a right.  
  
I accompanied the intricate with a white camisole before smiling once more at my finished look. I think I'll wear my bottle-cap necklace today, the one my dad helped me make. Ah, brilliant.  
  
I swung my side-bag over my head to rest the strap on my shoulder, the material not much different from my skirt before I made my way out of the Ravenclaw girl's dormitories. People mutter as I pass them, some even snigger at my dangling key shaped earrings but in the end I should be the one laughing. Why hide such an interesting soul when I can do whatever I please?  
  
Well, doesn't matter really. I'm off to Hogsmede and I'm going to have a good time with friends. Ginny and I are going to purchase some beads and such to make our own jewellery. There's just so much more satisfaction out of wearing something you made yourself, or something someone made for you.  
  
I reach the entrance hall where the crowds of students are already forming. Smiling vaguely I look around for my redheaded friend but I can't spot her. However I do spot someone else.  
  
Smiling again I make my way over to the boy who stands with his two best friends.  
  
"Hello Harry," I say as I reach them, "Hermione, Ron. How are you?"  
  
I notice Hermione and Ron share a glance before they both smile at me, nodding.  
  
"Good Luna. Aren't you going with my sister today?" Ron asks and there's a look on his face I can't quite read.  
  
"Yes, why?" I ask and Ron gives me an apologetic look.  
  
"She fell ill yesterday. She said to tell you when I saw you."  
  
Now I never pout or frown but I was rather disappointed. Ginny is in a sense my best friend who enjoys the same things as me and quite frankly it is always so much more fun when I can go shopping with her. I'll make her something nice in compensation.  
  
"Oh," I say briefly then quickly smile in thanks, "Thanks for telling me."  
  
I turn to leave but suddenly a hand taps my shoulder. Turning round I see Hermione and Ron making their way to the queue but Harry is stood just beside me with a little smile on his face.  
  
"Those two are planning some really big book thing that I'd rather pass...well actually I think Ron would too but Hermione's roped him in. So how about we go do whatever it was you were going to do?"  
  
My smile returns again as I look at him. Harry really has had a hard time but recently I've noticed that after I told him about my mother he seems more willing to chat to me. Which is nice.  
  
"Ok." I say and turn to lead him towards the back of the queue.  
  
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I gaze through a few windows as we pass various shops but I can't seem to find the right things. Maybe I already passed them?  
  
With this thought I turn around and start walking backwards, much to Harry's confusion.  
  
"What're you doing?" He asks hesitantly as he keeps glancing at the path I can't see. Probably trying to see whether there's some pothole or something, bless him.  
  
"Sometimes it's good to see where've you been." I answer as though that was obvious and at first Harry stares at me but then he smiles letting out a little laugh.  
  
"Does it help?" He asks as he helps me turn a corner to a street almost bare of students.  
  
"Oh yes. If you retrace your steps sometimes you can see where you went wrong."  
  
Another brief moment passes as we continue walking when suddenly Harry turns and begins to carefully walk backwards.  
  
"What 'wrong' are we looking for?" He asks as we stroll almost lazily backwards down the little back street.  
  
"I was trying to find something to make a necklace out of for Ginny." I say vaguely as I crane my head around to see anything that had potential. Harry helps.  
  
"How about there?" He says pointing across the street to a little knitting shop. I smile at him as I grab his sleeve and walking normally we enter the shop.  
  
"Good spotting, thanks Harry." I say with another wistful smile before I begin my hunt to make something nice for my friend.  
  
"You could make her a friendship bracelet." The messy-haired boy calls to me as he picks up a bundle of blue wool. I glance over at him and he turns to look at me smiling.  
  
"Friendship bracelet?" I ask as I cock my head in question. He walks over to me tossing the blue wool up and down in his hand.  
  
"Yeah, it's um...like well you get three different coloured strings then," He made a criss-crossing motion with his hands, "Sort of, er 'plait' it together then tie it at the bottom. Then you tie it round your friends wrist tight enough so it won't fall off but loose enough that it's comfortable."  
  
I contemplated this for a moment then smile at him.  
  
"Maybe I can weave some buttons in." I say and Harry grins at me.  
  
"That would be cool," He says then looks at my necklace, "That really is an odd necklace."  
  
I reach up to toy with a bottle-cap as I look down at the piece of jewellery.  
  
"Maybe I could put bottle-caps in it instead." I muse aloud as Harry chuckled and reaches to toy with one of the caps.  
  
"I reckon Ginny would like that, you're both as mad as each other in different ways." He smirks at me but I simply tilt my head at him.  
  
"Mad how so?" I ask and he seems almost startled by the question as he places the necklace back down to rest against the hollow of my neck.  
  
"Well I don't think 'mad' was the right word. 'Unique' would've fitted better."  
  
I look down at my attire of colours then at Harry's. He's simply wearing a green woolly jumper with faded jeans and trainers. He's got a black school cloak on over it but all in all he seems so...bland.  
  
"Why do you dress like that?" I ask and he quirks an eyebrow at me.  
  
"Like what?" He asks and I reach to trace the Hogwarts crest on his cloak.  
  
"Like everyone else." I ask as I look up. His viridian green eyes seem to search mine for a moment before he sighs and looks away.  
  
"If I don't stand out then I get at least a few blissful moments of peace before everyone realises the boy who lived is in the room." He mutters and for a moment my heart goes out to him.  
  
Harry, unlike me, is too well known to simply dress how he wants to, act like he wants to. He isn't allowed to be 'quirky' as this may be viewed as a sign of madness from the ever-scavenging public and I feel sorry for him.  
  
"I've changed my mind." I say suddenly and this time it is Harry who tilts his head in question.  
  
"About what?" He asks hesitantly as though he's worried what I might say next, which greatly amuses me.  
  
"I'm not going to make the band for Ginny." I say simply and leave it at that as I turn to purchase some different coloured wool, Harry staring after me with a bewildered look on his face.  
  
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I hold the thin band up to the light as I sit cross-legged on my bed, different snippets of wool lying on my bed with other failed prototypes scattered here and there.  
  
I smile at my final piece though. It has three strands weaved together to make the little plait that is just long enough to wrap around someone's wrist. I choose a forest green as my middle strand, it being a little thicker then the other two strands that were a burgundy red and a mustard yellow. Dangling from what would be the middle once it was tied round the owner's wrist was a single gold butter-beer bottle cap.  
  
Uncurling my legs I straightened out my skirt and pocketing the band I made my way downstairs to get dinner from the main hall.  
  
I reached it with hordes of students flowing into the room and briefly I looked around. Looking over at the Gryffindor table I spotted the familiar messy black hair and I began to weave my way through the crowd over to the table of lions.  
  
"Harry." I said as I came up behind him and he turned then, smiling at me as I smiled back.  
  
"Hey Luna, what's up?" He asked as he turned to sit sideways on the bench to give me his full attention.  
  
Briefly I noted a snigger come from Padma Patil's sister as she pointed out my necklace to her blonde friend but then again I suppose I could laugh at their matching jewellery. Who needs a clone?  
  
"I just wanted to give you a present, in thanks for looking behind you."  
  
I noticed Hermione give Harry a confused look and Ron smirked for some reason but Harry smiled, as he fully understood what I meant.  
  
"That's fine, you didn't need to get me a present."  
  
Choosing not to answer I smiled instead and pulled the band from my pocket with the single cap hanging from it. Hermione looked at it thoughtfully, Ron more confused then anything but it was Harry's face that meant the most. It meant my present was truly appreciated.  
  
He looked like I had offered him a gold watch as he held out his arm. I placed it over his wrist and tied it three times, securely but enough so there was a little give between the band and his arm.  
  
"It may not be much but at least this way you stand out to me." I said quietly to him and he looked at me, truly smiling...something none of us had really seen a lot since his Godfather had passed away.  
  
"Thank you." He said sincerely and as I made to pull his sleeve down over it he stopped me.  
  
"Let it show for a while." He said simply and smiling I nodded at him.  
  
I stood then and with a final nod at my friends I made my way back towards the Ravenclaw table with a few people's eyes on my back.  
  
"What was that about?" I heard Ron whisper as I moved away and Harry's answer brought an irrepressible smile to my face.  
  
"She let me be free for a while." 


End file.
